Configure and Manage Azure Policy

Key Concepts

• Azure Policy Overview
• Policy Definitions
• Policy Assignments
• Policy Compliance and Enforcement
• Remediation Tasks

Detailed Explanation

Azure Policy Overview

Azure Policy is a service in Azure that enables you to create, assign, and manage policies that control or audit your resources. These policies enforce different rules and effects over your resource configurations, ensuring they remain compliant with your corporate standards and service level agreements.

Policy Definitions

Policy Definitions are the rules that you create to manage and audit your resources. They consist of a policy rule and an effect. The policy rule defines the conditions under which the policy is enforced, while the effect determines what happens when the rule is violated (e.g., deny, audit, append, or modify).

Policy Assignments

Policy Assignments are the implementation of policy definitions to a specific scope, such as a management group, subscription, or resource group. Once assigned, the policy will be enforced on all resources within the specified scope. You can also exclude certain resources from the policy assignment if needed.

Policy Compliance and Enforcement

Policy Compliance refers to the state of your resources in relation to the assigned policies. Azure Policy continuously monitors your resources and provides a compliance report, showing which resources are compliant and which are not. Enforcement ensures that non-compliant resources are either denied or automatically brought into compliance according to the policy effect.

Remediation Tasks

Remediation Tasks are actions taken to bring non-compliant resources into compliance with assigned policies. Azure Policy can automatically remediate resources that are out of compliance by applying the necessary changes. This ensures that your resources remain compliant with your organizational standards.

Examples and Analogies

Example: Azure Policy Overview

Imagine Azure Policy as a building inspector who ensures that all buildings in a city comply with safety regulations. The inspector creates rules (policies) that define the safety standards, assigns these rules to specific areas (scopes), and continuously monitors the buildings to ensure compliance.

Example: Policy Definitions

Think of Policy Definitions as the safety codes that the building inspector enforces. These codes specify the conditions that buildings must meet (e.g., fire safety, structural integrity) and the consequences if these conditions are not met (e.g., fines, mandatory repairs).

Example: Policy Assignments

Consider Policy Assignments as the process of applying these safety codes to specific neighborhoods or buildings. The inspector assigns the codes to different areas and ensures that all buildings within those areas comply with the assigned codes. Exceptions can be made for historical buildings or special cases.

Example: Policy Compliance and Enforcement

Imagine Policy Compliance as the inspector's report card for each building. The report card shows which buildings meet the safety standards (compliant) and which do not (non-compliant). Enforcement ensures that non-compliant buildings are either fined or automatically repaired to meet the standards.

Example: Remediation Tasks

Think of Remediation Tasks as the actions taken by the inspector to fix non-compliant buildings. The inspector can either order the owners to make the necessary repairs or, in some cases, automatically fix the issues to ensure the buildings meet the safety standards.